Always
by Emtastic98
Summary: When Lily comes to visit her aunt, Angela, she learns that a horrible event has taken place in Gatlin. It turns out that Angela has volunteered to take in Lily's old friend, Micah; however, he's different. This begins at the start of the second movie, but it doesn't exactly follow the original storyline. MicahXOC love story :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So, this little side note is kind of important. I already have the whole story written, but I'm not going to post the whole thing all at once. So, I'm just providing you with the comforting truth that this story won't be abandoned since it's already been completed :) Enjoy and tell me what you think!**

**Chapter 1**

I had never been much of of city-girl, which is why my parents thought it would be good for me to spend the summer with my aunt, Angela, in Hemingford, Nebraska; I used to go there every summer when I was little, but somehow life got in the way and I stopped. I've been a little depressed lately, and that's why I was sent here. For some reason, though, I doubted I'd have too much fun. Don't get me wrong - I loved the idea of the fresh air and open spaces, and I had always enjoyed spending time with Angela; however, Hemingford isn't exactly the most exciting place on the planet. Hardly anything ever happens there; it's big news when someone wins a bingo game. To top it off, the town is extremely religious. I don't recall knowing anyone in the town that didn't attend church - even Angela went.

I took a deep breath and sunk deeper into the backseat of the taxi. I wasn't going to let the flaws of the small town ruin my time there, and I was going to try to have as much fun as possible.

There was one thing that I was excited about, though: my friend from Gatlin, Micah. We used to hang out and play in the corn fields all the time; he was incredibly shy and sweet as a child, which is what I liked about him. I remember having the best time with him when we were little.

I peered out the window at the familiar stores and houses throughout the town, remembering every bit of it. However, I did notice something that confused me. News crew vans were everywhere, talking to some of the town residents and driving around.

"Do you know if anything's happened here lately?" I asked the driver.

"Somethin' went down in Gatlin, a city that's nearby. I don't know the details, I jus' know that some people were found dead," he answered casually with a country accent. My thoughts instantly shot back to Micah, and I became slightly worried.

Maybe I had been wrong about the lack of events here.

As we approached a school, I instantly recognized my aunt's red convertible. It was parked beside yet another news van, and I noticed a group of people (along with news crews) standing around a school bus.

"Hold on, pull in here; I think I see my aunt," I told the driver.

Once he had pulled in and came to a stop, I paid him, grabbed by bag, and exited the car. I was slightly confused, and I was briefly paranoid that I had mistaken someone else's car for my aunt's. I exhaled shakily as the taxi rode away, but I began to walk towards the mass of people as I slung my duffle bag over my shoulder.

I stopped for a moment when I noticed a little, red-haired girl being questioned by a news reporter.

"Did you see what happened to your mommy and your daddy?" he asked her with a calm voice. I was pretty curious about what she had to say; I thought that maybe I would find out what happened here.

"I..." she started in a small voice, "I saw the corn..."

The man stood there for a second as if he expected her to say something else, but she didn't; she just starred straight ahead at nothing.

"Ok, cut it," he told the camera man while standing up straight. "What is all this shit about the corn?"

I guess I made the mistake of staring at him for too long, because he caught my gaze and motioned for the camera man to follow him as he came over to me.

"Excuse me, young lady, but were you one of the children that was victimized by this horrible event?" he asked, holding the microphone close to my mouth.

Before I could even reply, Angela walked over and intervened. "Leave this one alone, boys.

She's not one of them," she said. The man mumbled a few curse words before reluctantly walking away.

"Lily, I'm sorry. You haven't even been here five minutes and you've already been questioned by reporters!" she laughed and wrapped me in a hug. "It's so good to see you!" Angela was young, in her early thirties, and she had short, dark brown hair. As she let me go, I noticed someone standing behind her; it was Micah. Angela followed my gaze and smiled.

"Micah? Wow, you look different! In a good way, of course," I smiled, trying to be friendly. I wanted to ask him what he was doing in Hemingford, but I was a bit thrown off by his "reply" to my comment. All he did was nod solemnly in return.

The truth was that Micah looked _a lot_ different. In fact, the first thing I noticed was the contrast between Micah's appearance and my own; we were almost the exact opposites of each other. He had jet-black hair, and he wore clothes that looked somewhat like a preacher's, except all black. His eyes were also an incredibly dark shade. I, on the other hand, had light blonde hair with blue eyes, and I wore jean shorts with a blue t-shirt.

I coughed awkwardly and gave my aunt a distressed look.

Angela was about to say something, but an old lady came riding towards the school bus on a bike while yelling, "Go on! Get outta' my way! Move!" She stopped right I front of the bus and screamed to the driver, "Don't you move an inch!"

A police officer shoved his way through the crowed of news reporters that surrounded her.

"Come on now, Mrs. Burke; let's just get this thing over with," he said in an attempt to calm her down.

"Over my dead body! You know perfectly well if we let those children in our housing, we're gonna' end up dead, just like those people did!" she said, pointing angrily at the school bus.

"Now, Mrs. Burke-" the officer began to speak, but he was interrupted by Angela, who was navigating through the crowed to get to Mrs. Burke.

"Mrs. Burke... Mrs. Burke! Haven't these children been through enough?" she asked when she finally reached her.

"The children? What about their parents?! They murdered their own parents!"

"Those involved with the killings are dead," Angela assured her. "You have a nice, big, empty house. Why don't you volunteer it like I have?" I assumed that was the reason Micah had been hanging around my aunt - she was taking him in.

"I don't trust these children... I know them, every one!" Mrs. Burke hissed, gesturing to Micah. "I taught school in that town all those years, until I had the good sense to get out of there."

"I know. What happened is over, Mrs. Burke; it's over. Now, come on."

"You got no need to die, Angela. I'm takin' my house, and I'm gettin' out of here, and don't you try to stop me." Mrs. Burke whispered gravely, grabbing her bike and walking away.

People tried to encourage the old woman to stay, but she ignored them, climbing on her bike and riding away.

I looked towards Micah, who simply watched her with an emotionless expression as she rode away. I was so curious about what had happened in the town, I was actually about to ask Micah out of desperation. Luckily, Angela came over to us, sighing with her arms crossed. "That woman... Her stubbornness is going to turn around and bite her one day if she keeps it up," she said, shaking her head and looking at Micah. "Don't you listen to a word that old woman says. She's got quite the nerve to be accusing you children of murder!" She huffed one last time and began walking angrily to her car; Micah and I followed.

As we walked, a car pulled in to the parking space across from ours and a man, along with a teenage boy, exited the car. The man, who looked to be a little older than my aunt, walked over to us eagerly, and the boy reluctantly followed. "Um, excuse me, I'm a reporter and I'm trying to catch up on the recent events here. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" The man asked.

"Yeah, actually, I would," Angela answered. I forced myself to hold back a grin. "Besides, I don't have any answers..."

"Please, one question; just one," the man begged.

"Fine, just one," Angela begrudgingly stopped and turned to face him. The man was silent for a moment, his eyes surveying her shirt which was an advertisement for the bed and breakfast she runs.

"Do you know of a place that we can stay? It's just my son and me," he gestured to the boy. "Someplace cozy, not too extravagant?"

"I guess it pays to advertise, huh?" Angela laughed.

"Do you have any vacancies?"

"Well, I have a nice room with twin beds for thirty bucks per night."

"Great, we'll take it!" the man smiled.

Angela nodded and resumed walking to her car. "Just follow me there," she called back to them. She placed our luggage in the passengers seat, so Micah and I both sat in the back.

This was going to be one crazy summer vacation.


	2. Chapter 2

******Please review! :)**

**Chapter 2**

I didn't exactly mean to judge Micah on purpose, it's just that his appearance, attitude, and what the old woman claimed about him made me afraid. The entire car ride to Angela's bed and breakfast was silent, and I spent it smushed up against the side of the car, as far away from Micah as I could get. He didn't seem to notice; he simply sat looking straight ahead with his hands clasped in his lap. I had no clue how I would sleep in the same house as this kid - he had definently changed.

I practically leapt from the car as soon Angela put it in park. I grabbed my things from the passenger seat with the same efficiency and put it over my shoulder. Angela flashed me a quizzical look that said "Where's the fire?" as she got out, but I simply shook my head. As Micah was exiting the car and the the reporter's car was pulling in, Angela put her arm around me and began walking to the house.

"Lily, I promise that you have nothing to worry about. If I even suspected that what Mrs. Burke said about Micah and the other children was true, I would have never volunteered to take him in. I swear, he wouldn't harm a fly. Besides, it's not like he's a total stranger; you two were best friends when you were kids, for Pete's sake!" she whispered assuringly as we stepped on to the porch.

"I'm sorry, something about him just seems a little... off," I said as she unlocked the door.

Once everyone had gotten settled in, Angela prepared dinner. I learned that the man's name was John, his son's name was Danny, and John desperately needed a good story for his job, which is why he was here. I also learned that he was a huge flirt. He chatted and giggled with Angela the whole time while the children at the table remained silent. Danny and I watched our relatives with disgust as they talked, but Micah just starred at the table, poking at his hardly-touched food with his fork.

As Angela and John finished one more laugh, she stood and began to collect everyone's plates as she announced that she was going to wash dishes. "I'll help," John eagerly offered, following her into the kitchen.

Micah, Danny, and I sat in silence for a few moments, and I Micah did something that surprised me - he rose his eyes to look at me. He sat across from me studied my face for a few moments, his eyes trailing to the part of my torso that showed above the table. Normally, in a situation like this, I would've used the "take a picture" line, but I was honestly afraid to offend him, so I awkwardly crossed my arms in front of my chest and looked away.

"So... Lily, I wanted to apologyse for my dad, you know, being all creepy with your aunt and stuff," Danny said.

"Nah, it's fine," I said, smiling suddenly. "Hey, is that a Brooklyn accent?"

"Yeah, that's where I'm from," he smiled.

Suddenly, Angela came into the room, drying a plate. "Well, I don't want you kids sitting in the house being bored. Why don't you guys go outside and play or something?" she offered, retreating back into the kitchen.

"No offense, but I'd rather not," Micah said, standing abruptly and going upstairs.

Danny and I watched him with curious eyes, and we exchanged glances. "Well, I guess we can't really blame him, with everything that's happened with his parents and stuff," I shrugged once Micah had left. Danny nodded in agreement.

We decided that we didn't really want to "play outside", and that we were both pretty tired from traveling, so we both just went to our rooms. Although, as it got darker outside, I remembered something that I used to do as a child. There was a cornfield right behind the house, and at night the moon shines directly above it - it's completely beautiful. Micah and I would run through the cornfield as it was illuminated by the moon, and it really felt magical. I peered out of my window at the field, which was blanketed by a dim light that was the moon - I guessed that it was full, and that made me all the more excited to go.

It was kind if late, so I didn't want to bother waking up Angela to tell her where I was going. Besides, I'd only be gone for a few minutes.

I opened and closed the front door as quietly as I could, and I was thankful that it wasn't one of those doors that squeaked. As I started walking to the field, I crossed my arms and clutched at my hoodie; I wasn't scared, I had just forgotten how cold it gets there at night, that's all.

I smiled as I entered the rows of corn, having flashbacks of myself as a child. Even though Micah wasn't with me, I still tried to enjoy myself. I ventured deeper into the field, closing my eyes every now and then to take it all in. Looking at it directly, the moon did seem to be full and it gleamed on my hair, shining proudly. I had definently missed this.

Without warning, whispers cut into my thoughts.

I focused on listening for what direction they were coming from, and upon looking to my left, I saw a yellow light - the kind that a fire gives off. I instantly assumed that the field had caught fire, but I reminded myself that it would look much different; flames would be rising above the stalks. This fire appeared to be coming from several different torches.

The reasonable part of me screamed "forget this, I'm going home," but the curious and stronger part of me wanted to know what it was. Yes, I know that I was copying every dumb person that wants to check out a freaky noise when they hear it, but you don't understand. This was a place where I felt safe, a place that I would venture to as a child, not a creepy, old house. It might not seem different, but somehow, it was. It's as if it wasn't just curiosity pulling me towards the scene, it was something else.

I snaked through the corn stalks as I tried not to ruffle or even touch the leaves. I approached the area slowly, and I realized that it was a clearing. The "whisper" that I heard was actually someone speaking - preaching, actually - and it was Micah. I hid behind a few rows of corn and watched him as he spoke to a whole group of children, saying something about how adults are evil and they should be wiped out; he was really into it, too. The fire reflected off his dark eyes, and I could have sworn I saw something aggressive in them - something I didn't want to be apart of.

He was a completely different person.

"Now, go home, and wait for a sign," Micah concluded just before the children began to rise. They doused the fire and torches, and the only light to be seen came from the moon once again.

What the heck was that?! I thought to myself. Are they some sort of cult or something? I was beyond freaked out at that point, and I was just about ready to run home. I stupidly became lost in my state of shock and began to stumble backwards, which caused me to loudly ruffle the corn stalks. I mentally punched myself for that.

The children stopped dead in their tracks and looked in my direction, eyeing the stalks curiously. That's when I saw what they held in their hands: axes, long knives, machetes... Every one of them was grasping a weapon.

Yep, it was time to leave.

Without even thinking, I sprinted in the opposite direction towards the house. I shouldn't have even been out here in the first place, I thought. I would have never been in this situation, I could've been sound asleep by now. Upon hearing multiple thuds behind me, I confirmed that the kids were, in fact, chasing me. I felt my adrenalin kick in as my legs moved fasted than they ever have, carrying me away from the noise until I couldn't hear in anymore. I wasn't going to make the classic mistake of thinking I had lost them, so I just kept running; faster, even.

After what seemed like forever, I finally exited the field and made a bee-line for the house. I shouldn't have cared about being loud coming into the house, but I did. For some extremely odd reason, I didn't want to tell anyone about what I had seen. I shut the door behind me, locking it softly, and I breathed shakily as I looked outside through the window.

Thankfully, all I saw were stalks of corn, and not children with knives.

I bounded up the stairs, skipping two steps at a time, and I made my way into my room, closing the door and locking it behind me. I paced the floor, reviewing what i had seen in my head, and asking myself odd questions: Did I really regret finding out about Micah and his cult, or whatever that was? Would I have been safer not knowing? I wasn't sure if I was glad that I found out this way, or if I had rather remained aloof to the situation. But there was another side to this, so what if Micah had a club? That doesn't mean that they necessarily kill people, right? I mean, sure they had weapons, but they could have carried those I case they came across someone crazy in the field at night.

The sound of the front door closing interrupted my thoughts. "Oh, my god... " I mumbled, throwing my shoes off and climbing in my bed, pretending to be asleep. I heard the stairs creaking as someone slowly accented them, step by step. My eyes were wide and my entire body shook with fear as I clutched at the covers. He creaking suddenly stopped, which is how I know that they had made it to the top of the steps. From the moonlight that streamed through my window, the shadows of two feet were cast from the other side of the door into my room. Whatever... the door is locked. What are they going to do, hack my door down? I thought.

My judgement was extremely off, as I had forgotten that skeleton keys were on all of the top ledges of the door frames. I heard the door knob rattle a little just before the lock snapped in the other direction.

I immediately shut my eyes, and I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest as I heard the knob twist and the door squeak open. I willed myself to stop shaking, and I made myself appear as untroubled as I possibly could, as if I were sleeping. My eyes opened just a crack so that I could see who it was. As the figure stepped into the room, I confirmed that it was just who I had expected: Micah.

He stood still for a moment, starring at me with cold eyes, but then he began walking towards my bed. He didn't have a weapon in his hands, and I guessed that was something to be relieved about, but I quickly reminded myself that his hands _were_ weapons.

Something in this boy was evil; I saw it in the corn field.

He removed something from his pocket and placed it on my nightstand, and I felt his hand on my head. I was able to stop myself before I flinched, and I realized that he was stoking my hair.

"Sleep well, Lily," he nearly chuckled. He took back his hand and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

I waited a few painful minutes before sitting up and turning on the dim lamp. There, on my nightstand, was a single ear of corn.

I didn't sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I sat at the breakfast table half asleep, completely exhausted from the previous night. Luckily, Micah wouldn't be joining us; Angela said he went somewhere with his friends. I didn't know whether to be thankful that he wasn't near me, or terrified at the thought of what they might be up to.

"Rough night, Lily?" Angela said, snapping me out of my trance. I nodded, picking up my fork and trying to eat.

"Yeah, when I'm staying at new places, the first night usually isn't that great for me," I lied.

"Well, this isn't exactly a new place for you."

"I know, but I haven't been here in a while. Don't worry, I'll get used to it," I assured her, smiling.

The room went silent for a moment, and then John spoke. "If you're looking to get outside today, would you want to come with Danny and I to question Mrs. Burke?"

"Sure, that sounds good. Can I go?" I asked Angela.

She pursed her lips and sighed. "Yes, but I have no clue why you all would want to go over there. I doubt she'll tell you anything."

"We'll just see about that, won't we, kids?" John smiled, nudging his son. Danny rolled his eyes and excused himself from the table.

After taking showers and getting dressed, the three of us began to venture to Mrs. Burke's house. Upon approaching her driveway, I noticed that her house had been lifted off the ground with jacks. I had no clue that she was actually serious about taking her house with her when she moved, but evidentially, she was.

"This woman's crazy as hell..." Danny mumbled as we pulled into the driveway.

When she made that scene in front of the school bus, I probably would've agreed; however, remembering last night, I wasn't so sure that she was actually crazy. In fact, her claim about the kids seemed more and more plausible as I thought about it.

Speaking of them...

As I looked out into the woman's front yard, I spotted them. Micah was standing in front of five other kids; they weren't talking or anything, they just stood and starred at the house.

"Do you guys want to come along or stay in the car?" John asked as he got out. Danny and I said we wanted to stay, and we rolled down a window so we could hear what was going on.

As John approached the house, Mrs. Burke came out, yelling in fury and waving a broomstick in the air. Danny and I couldn't help but snicker. "Those little devils... Get away from here, get away now! Every one of you, move!" she yelled to the children just before looking at John. "You lookin' for answers? They're out there; terrible things." She pointed at the group of kids standing defiantly in her yard.

"What are you talking about?" John asked, glancing at the children as if they were part of the grass.

"Have you ever _seen_ evil? It works through the children. Nobody would listen, but I told 'em in Gatlin, I showed 'em!"

"Showed them what?"

"The drawings by the little children; they knew... they knew... My husband went into the cornfield fifteen years ago; he never came back. That's why I'm movin' outta this place, and I ain't comin' back!" she said. As she turned around, she noticed a dark green cross that had been painted on the side of her house; she glanced at he children in panic. "Damn you... damn you!" she screamed as she ran into her house.

John sauntered back to the car, seeming bewildered about what just happened. I, on the other hand, was infuriated. That poor old woman! She had been right all along, and nobody would listen to her. Those kids were even targeting her because they knew she was onto them, painting weird things on her house and stalking her from her own front yard. I felt unbelievably sorry for her, and I wanted to help.

"Well, that was a mistake," John grumbled as he returned to the car.

"Do you have your story yet?" Danny asked.

"What do you think?"

Danny sighed. "There's nothing to do around here."

"How do you know that? Why don't you just check it out first? Both of you, just go explore the place; there might be more around here than corn. If there is, let me know," John said, obviously frustrated. Danny begrudgingly got out of the car and began to walk off. I exited the car with rage, walking off towards the group of kids as John drove away.

Micah was talking with a boy with blonde hair to his left, but he stopped when he noticed I was walking over.

"Why would you do that?!" I yelled, shoving Micah with all my might. He barley even moved an inch, though, due to my size; nevertheless, it still felt good. He had been my best friend, and I was going to do everything in my power to find out what was wrong with him.

The other kids began to come after me, but Micah motioned for then to stand down.

"She's just an innocent old woman! Why would you terrorize her like that?!" I said, pointing to Mrs. Burke, who was on her porch, attempting to clean the painting from her house with pure terror in her eyes.

"We did nothing; it was He Who Walks Behind The Rows," the boy with the blonde hair answered.

"The rows of what, canoes?" I asked.

"The corn," the boy answered just as a breeze blew through the nearby field, shaking the stalks.

"Micah, let's just get rid of her..." a little girl with red hair whispered. As I looked at her, I recognized her from the day I arrived; she was the little girl that was being interviewed.

"Oh, what? You're going to kill me, too? Go ahead, Micah; I dare you to do it right here." I stood squarely in front of him, waiting.

He looked me over and tilted his head slightly. "If you would all excuse me, I'd like to have a word with Lily, alone," he said, walking away from them. I followed him. He stopped when he was a good distance away from the group; he opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him.

"Why were you in my room last night?" I asked.

"Why were you spying on me in the field?" he retorted with a smirk.

I scoffed, "I wasn't spying on you; I just happened to see you guys standing out there and I wanted to know what you were doing."

"So, join us," he offered.

What was his deal? "Why the heck would I join you?!"

"The way you're standing up to me - that strength would prove useful to serve Him."

"I-..." I honestly had no idea what do say. He was obviously crazed... but he was so sure of himself at the same time. Something was compelling me to trust him; but the way he looked at me as if I were prey... it scared me.

"You're trembling," he nearly smiled, looking at my hand.

"No, I'm not," I said, moving it behind my back. He apparently made it his goal to prove me wrong since he reached around me and grasped my wrist, holding it for both of us to see.

"Yes, you are," he nearly whispered. After that, I'm not exactly sure what happened. His grip on my wrist loosened, and for some godawful reason, I slid my hand into his. I looked up at him, and something strange took place; I saw him in a completely different way. He was... perfect, and beautiful, and... I _felt_ something for him.

I didn't like it.

I tore my hand away and stared at him. For the first time, he actually looked genuinely confused, and instead of staring at me with menace, he stared at me with something that I didn't recognize - passion, maybe? Although I was curious, I convinced myself that I didn't want to know.

"I-I'm going home," I said, turning away. Micah remained silent as I walked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I took so long to upload this! I've been on vacation and there was no wifi D: First world problems, I know. This is the last chapter, but I'd be happy to write an epilogue or something if you guys want me to. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

I had managed to block Micah out of my thoughts for a few hours as I sat at home; that is, until John came in with some horrible news.

"Hey, Lily, you wouldn't happen to be interested in riding over to Mrs. Burke's again, would you? You know, to pay your respects," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, suddenly alert.

He sighed deeply. "Mrs. Burke died about an hour ago. Apparently, her cat got under her house, she went to get it, and... something went wrong and house fell on top of her."

Sure, "something went wrong", I thought.

I agreed to ride over there for a second time that day, and upon arriving, I was immediately filled with anger once more. The ambulance, sheriff, and a lot of townspeople surrounded the scene; the paramedics were in the process of digging Mrs. Burke out from underneath the house. Without fail, the group of children were also there, except there were more than I had seen earlier. They stood, looking like a bunch of innocent kids, which I knew they definently weren't. I kind of wanted to march over and scream at them like I had earlier, but I was mainly just heartbroken that they would do something like this.

I was heartbroken that Micah would do something like this.

It hurt me that he enjoyed hurting people, and causing them pain. Despite my better judgement, I walked over to him; surprisingly, the opposite of how I did earlier. I must have seemed tired, or sore, even, because that's how I felt. I dragged myself to stand beside him and with the other children, peering at him sadly.

"So, you killed her?" I nearly breathed.

He was about to reply, but his eyes focused in on something behind me. I followed his gaze and spotted John yelling at Danny, telling him to be obedient or something.

"I used to have problems with my parents, like that," he gestured to John as he strutted away from Danny. "Adults are such hypocrites; it's as if the moment they turn nineteen, they become this _thing_."

"What thing?" I asked.

He gestured for me to walk with him. "Well it's kind of like how my father used to be. If we listened to the radio, we sinned. If we talked to girls, we sinned. And every sin demanded a beating, to chase away the devil," he said as a grim expression crossed his face. "And then one day, I caught my father with the farmhand's wife, sinning... most vigorously."

"Micah... were you glad when your father was killed?"

He stopped walking and his eyes scanned the property as if the answer were hiding somewhere around there.

"The bible also teaches that with everything, there is a season." he said, nearly clenching his teeth afterwards.

No wonder Micah was so messed up; he had been abused by his own father throughout his whole childhood. Looking back at it now, he probably used to get beaten for being with me. For once, I actually felt bad for him. I hated that I felt like none of the murders were really his fault when I knew they were, and I hated the amount of empathy I felt for him at that moment.

Most of all, I hated what it made me do.

I got in front of him and wrapped my arms around his torso, enveloping him in a hug. He seemed quite shocked at first - I was, too - but he hesitantly wrapped his arms around me with incredible gentleness, as if I were made of glass. He smelled like a field mixed with a church, and I figured that was because those were the two places that you were most likely to find him at. I felt close to him again as we held each other.

"Micah, you don't have to let your father's bad parenting control you," I said, pulling away so I could look at him.

"My father isn't the cause of this," he said, looking towards the ambulance car, "it's Him; He Who Walks Behind The Rows."

I shook my head and narrowed my eyebrows, showing him that I didn't understand.

"Lily..." He nearly whispered, holding both of my hands in his,"I want you to join me. We can be best friends, just like when we were kids. We can worship and serve Him together."

"I'm not sure if I want that..." I said, glancing at the house sitting atop Mrs. Burke, "but I want to be with you again. So, I'll join you and worship Him, if that's what it takes."

I wasn't sure if I had made a horrible mistake, but at the time, I didn't really care. I spent the rest of the day with Micah and the other children, and they explained their purpose along with He Who Walks Behind The Rows. It all sounded like somebody made the whole thing up while they were half asleep, but I tried my best to keep an open mind and just go with it. I understood some things - mainly the things about how adults are mentally different than children - but I didn't really understand why they were convinced that all adults were evil, and they needed to be exterminated.

Micah said that my initiation would take place that night in the clearing, and I was curious as to what they would ask me to do. I tried to think optimistically, and I concluded that maybe they would just ask me to eat some sacred corn or something. I had no reason to be nervous.

Around sunset, Micah and I ventured into the field; it was a about thirty minutes before my initiation was supposed to take place. He took me to a separate clearing to watch the sun go down, just like we used to.

We sat down and held me in his lap with his arms around me.

Being with him was odd since I knew of the things he had done. It didn't really matter that we had been best friends, because being in the arms of a killer still scared me senseless. I had such a longing to be with him, but at the same time, I was frightened to be around him. I guess I thought I could make things like they were again.

"Does He look down upon love?" I asked.

"I would say not, unless that love is for an adult," he answered, shrugging. "He only wants to bring people peace."

"There's peace in love," I pointed out, turning to face him. Our faces were incredibly close; our lips about an inch apart.

"Yes, there is," he agreed, closing the distance between us. His lips were warm and soft, and they pressed against mine with longing and passion. We kissed until darkness fell around us, and Micah informed me that it was time to go.

He was leading me to another clearing, and my pulse quickened as I spotted the light through the corn.

As we came closer, I noticed the familiar torches and children, and everything was kind of calm. However, as we got closer, I noticed that the children were all staring at something and I could hear someone whimpering. Upon entering the clearing and to my surprise, the cries were coming from a woman tied to a makeshift cross.

It was Angela.

There was a rag tied around her mouth so that she was unable to actually scream, but I could tell that she was trying. I couldn't do anything else but stare at her, my mouth agape.

"Welcome to your initiation," Micah smirked. He led me to stand beside Angela, and she cried as she watched Micah hand me a machete. My eyes widened as I became fixed on the sharp object, shakily toying with it's weight. I had already guessed what my task would be.

"Um... what am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, attempting to stall the inevitable. The other children, including Micah, laughed, assuming that I was trying to be funny.

"All you have to do is dismember your aunt's pretty head..." he grinned slightly, "and then cut out her tainted heart."

His request made me seriously question why I had even gotten myself into this mess. There I was, standing over my aunt with a machete, with my childhood friend, Micah, standing next to me as he told me to kill her. Yeah, it wasn't at all how I had imagined the trip. Nevertheless, I needed to figure something out quick. I tried to remember the advice the my parents had given me growing up; the kind of advice that I would groan at because I had heard it so many times. The first thing that came to my mind was "Listen to your heart." Since I didn't have time to think, I just went with that one.

Ok, heart, don't fail me now...

I listened, and I did so with extreme concentration. The bottom line was that I would never kill my aunt - not even for Micah. I knew better than to listen to these satanic, babbling kids and allow them to convince me to do something stupid. I was going to end this.

With amazing efficiency, I cut all of the ropes that were holding Angela down and I screamed for her to run before the children even knew what was happening. Unfortunately, it didn't take them long to figure it out. Two boys immediately began to run after Angela as she scurried into the corn. Perhaps they would catch her, but at least I gave her a better chance of surviving in comparison to what she had.

Without protest, I allowed the children to lay me upon the cross in the position that Angela had been and tie my limbs down. Some of them looked confused as to why I wasn't fighting, but others didn't seem to care.

"Leave," Micah commanded the children when they had finished. They obeyed and sauntered away into the darkness of the corn. Micah grabbed the machete off the ground and starred at me with confusion and sadness in his eyes.

"Why-" he had begun to speak, but I didn't let him.

"Do you remember when we would play under the moonlight, in the field?" I asked, looking up at the moon. He breathed heavily and grasped the machete with two shaking hands.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" he asked. I could tell he was nearly in tears.

I turned my head to look at him with the most serious expression I've ever held on my face. "Because I love you," I whispered. The type of love I held for Micah wasn't the type you hold for a friend or a boyfriend - it was the type that was unconditional. "No matter what you choose to do to me, I will always love you," I said, turning away from him. I closed my eyes and awaited my fate. The shadow of the machete shown through my eyelids, and I readied myself to die.

Of course, that wasn't the case. What kind of love story would this be if it was?

He brought the machete down on the ropes that bound my legs, and then the ropes that held my arms. I let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding and opened my eyes. This was the Micah I knew - he had found himself.

He fell to his knees as I sat up, tears falling from both of our eyes. I joined him on the ground and pried the weapon from his hand, tossing it aside. I felt like we sat there forever just crying due to a mixture of overwhelming emotions. We didn't look at each other until at least thirty minutes had passed, and even then both of us were still a mess.

He held my face in his hands and looked steadily into my eyes. "I love you, too," he said, just before our lips met once again, "and I always will."


End file.
